Since Fuller's dome patent was issued in 1954, there have been a number of related patents granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. I came across several interesting patents while researching for my own patent application. Several are listed here; many are not and there are many new patents related to domes and dome construction not listed here.
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FlowGuard Gold® Copper Tube Size (CTS) CPVC Pipe and Fittings are used for hot and cold domestic water distribution, where the operating temperature will not exceed 180 degrees F at 100 psi.
HURRICANE SERIES and Extreme | Sq. Ft. Main Floor | Sq. Ft. W/ Enclosed Upper Lvl | Frame Only | Exterior |
| 26' diameter 2v 3/6 Half Sphere Dome Cabin - Guest House | 490 | 490 | $7000 | $2400 |
| 36' diameter 3v 4/9 Low Profile Low Profile Cabin - Retreat Home (picture) | 1000 | 1400 | $13,500 | $4500 |
| 36' diameter 3v 5/9 High Profile Hi profile Cabin or Home (picture) | 1000 | 1800 | $18,000 | $6300 |
| 47' diameter 4v 5/12 Low Profile Low profile Home – Office - Barn (picture) | 1650 | 2600 | $19,900 | $7200 |
| 48' diameter 4v 6/12 Half Sphere Mid profile Home – Office - Business (picture) | 1800 | 3000 | $27,000 | $9600 |
| 74' diameter 6v 9/15 Half Sphere Dome House - Call for details | 4200 | up to 10,000 | $58,000 | $21,600 |
Bucky Ball Dome PlansDetailed plans for building a 15' diameter BuckyBall, 8' high at the center. Extremely light yet strong, a 180lb person can hang from the apex and if staked down it will withstand almost anything the desert can throw at it.
Look for a couple of 'em at SpaceLounge this year.
You'll need a BIG bench vice, good hand drill, a few 1/4" drill bits and a pipe cutter. Constructed from 1/2" conduit it will take about 4 people a day to build the parts. Once built, the parts are easily transportable and can be easily knocked together in the desert, with only a wrench, by 3 people in about ten minutes.
It'll cost about $100-$150 for materials from your local builder's supply, not including the shade cloth covering.
Domes made with lengths of hoop-shaped PVC pipes have become popular for shade structures because of the ease with which plastic pipe can be cut, joined, transported, and assembled. This structural idiom has long been used by nomadic peoples, who would arch flexible branches to form a dome and cover it with hide or weavings.
These domes gain stability by weaving long, arched PVC pipes in an inverted bowl shape. Firmly staking the ends of each pipe length to the ground creates a bowed arch. Lacing a number of arched pipes together in a circular plan using rope lashings or bungie cords creates a stable dome, if you have enough of the pipes crossing such that you create a network of 3- to 6-foot triangles. Typical nominal PVC pipe size for a strong, moderate sized dome (20- to 30-foot dia.) are 1-1/2" for primary members, and 1" for bracing members; minimum grade, Schedule 40, although some people go with lighter irrigation pipe. Some camps at Burning Man have gone to 2" pipe for larger domes.
The Cultural Worker's Union of Santa Cruz is one camp that has been building and improving their dome design since 1996. Improvements made in 1998 included the addition of a reinforcing center ring (photo above and info from Aaron Ferrucci & Jeremy Lutes). The Space Lounge group designed single domes for Checkpoint Salon and the Earth Guardians, and a more free-form PVC pipe dome structure for Media Mecca in 1998; since then they have used geodesic domes.
PVC pipe is a great material for portable structures if its limitations are recognized. It has low strength; brittleness; and is prone to deterioration from exposure to sunlight over time. It typically comes in white or gray, but orange, blue, and purple conduit can be found at plumbing and electrical suppliers. Common sizes can be bought anywhere; it's as maleable and versatile as TinkerToys or popsicle sticks; very lightweight; and easy to cut and drill with hand tools.
Camp Siestah's plan used a parachute strung from a single pole (LeeDogg's site is inaccessible, unfortunately), resulting in a cone or wide teepee shape rather than a dome. A central 3-inch PVC pipe pole was the only rigid support, from which twenty guy lines spoke out to 48-inch capped steel stakes arrayed in a circle equal in size to the diameter of the parachute (the pole length is equal to half the nominal diameter of the parachute, plus one or two feet for burial).
Also see Argyre Patras' parachute plan for another simple setup, which uses a PVC pipe hoop around the parachute perimeter.
| Fieldmaster Sampling Squares | |||||||||||||||
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| It’s easy to quantify the results of your high school’s field study with our folding sampling square. This plastic device cleanly and quickly marks off either a quarter of a meter squared or half a meter squared. Place it in front of a large kick net when you’re sampling for macrobenthos in a stream, for instance. Kick up the stream bed in just the area marked out by the plastic rods. When you know how many “critters” can be found in a known area - you can extrapolate out for the entire length of the stream! Our sampling square is simple and easy to use. When you unfold it, it “explodes” open due to the use of a durable shock cord inside the PVC pipe legs. Connections are made with T-connectors which allow the frame to sink. A lightweight, portable, sure-fire way of quantifying your results. • Two-dimensional square in two sizes, formed by four PVC legs connected with two PVC T-connectors. • Shock cord contained inside the pipe legs. • Instructions. | |||||||||||||||
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SCHEDULE 40 & 80 - DIMENSIONS | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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PVC stands for polyvinyl chloride, a fairly soft plastic that can be worked with normal wood tools. Do not confuse it with ABS pipe, which is much thinner and brittle, or CPVC pipe, which is chemically the same as PVC but made to copper pipe dimensions.
PVC pipe is available in three schedules; 40, 80, and 120. I believe it also comes in a thinner DVW schedule, but I have no data on that.
| Nominal Pipe Size | O.D. | I.D. | Wall thickness | Weight lbs/ft | Max PSI | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | 80 | 120 | 40 | 80 | 120 | 40 | 80 | 120 | 40 | 80 | 120 | ||
| 1/8" | 0.405 | 0.261 | 0.203 | 0.068 | 0.095 | 0.045 | 0.058 | 810 | 1230 | ||||
| 1/4" | 0.540 | 0.354 | 0.288 | 0.088 | 0.119 | 0.081 | 0.100 | 780 | 1130 | ||||
| 3/8" | 0.675 | 0.483 | 0.407 | 0.091 | 0.126 | 0.109 | 0.138 | 620 | 920 | ||||
| 1/2" | 0.840 | 0.608 | 0.528 | 0.480 | 0.109 | 0.147 | 0.170 | 0.161 | 0.202 | 0.223 | 600 | 850 | 1010 |
| 3/4" | 1.050 | 0.810 | 0.724 | 0.690 | 0.113 | 0.154 | 0.170 | 0.214 | 0.273 | 0.295 | 480 | 690 | 770 |
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Bungee SHOCK CORD 1/8" X 500' BLK | |
| Item: 133403
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| This item qualifies for free savers shipping! | |
 $65.00 | |
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Bungee SHOCK CORD 1/8" X 500' BLK | |
| SHOCK CORD BY THE SPOOL: Very useful for re-cording tent poles and a myriad of other applications. These cords are manufactured in the United States. All jacket covers are long-wear multifilament polypropylene or nylon and not the cotton-under-cover used by many foreign manufacturers to deceptively bulk-up their product. | |
| BCNL-3 Bulk Bungee Cord- Nylon | ||||||||
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| | 13144 |
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| Bulk Shock Cord (Bungee) | 1443 |
| Perfect for making hold downs. Priced by the yard! | |
| | | Your Price | Qty | |
| | | $1.39 | |
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| Detailed Description |
| BULK SHOCK CORD Sold by the yard in 3/32", 1/8", 3/16",1/4" diameters, but can vary slightly. Bulk shock-cord will stretch approximately twice the length purchase. For making your own bungee cords see plastic coated hooks listed. Sold in full yard quantities only. Priced by the yard! |
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